THE HAGUE, April 24, 2006 (AFP) - The mayor of Amsterdam on Monday wrote to his counterparts in eight European Union countries urging them to allow gay people to marry and hold public demonstrations.

In a letter to the mayors of eight capital cities, Job Cohen said the fifth anniversary of same-sex marriages in the Netherlands was an "appropriate occasion" to ask for gay rights to be upheld elsewhere in Europe.

The letter, also sent to the EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini, called on European mayors to "adhere to the universal declaration of human rights, and to do everything in your political power to open up marriage for same sex couples and safeguard the right of public demonstrations in your city".

Cohen said he was "concerned" by measures taken in some cities to ban gay demonstrations.

"We are particularly concerned by the news that homophobic attitude and behaviour is propagated by measures and policies of local authorities in some of the new EU-member states," he added.

In Portugal, a lesbian couple recently had their request for a marriage licence turned down, while Poland's president, Lech Kaczynski, banned several homosexual demonstrations when he was mayor of Warsaw.

More than 8,000 same-sex marriages have been celebrated in the Netherlands in the five years since they became legal, official statistics show.

The mayor of Amsterdam has sent letters to his counterparts in eight European cities warning that gay intolerance is on the increase and asking them to uphold homosexual rights such as allowing gays to get married and to hold demonstrations.

Job Cohen said he is "particularly concerned by the news that homophobic attitude and behaviour is propagated by measures and policies of local authorities in some of the new EU-member states," according to the AFP news agency.

The Netherlands introduced gay marriage five years ago, and Mr Cohen is urging other countries to do the same.

Mr Cohen's letter was sent to mayors in Warsaw, Prague, Lisbon, Dublin, Vienna and in the Baltic capitals of Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius, as well as to EU justice commissioner Franco Frattini.

The move comes after a motion by city councillors, concerned by recent attacks on homosexuals in Europe.

In the letter, Mr Cohen says he is alarmed by measures in some cities to ban gay demonstrations.

He calls on his colleagues to "adhere to the universal declaration of human rights, and to do everything in your political power to open up marriage for same-sex couples and safeguard the right of public demonstrations in your city."

When he was mayor, Polish president Lech Kaczynski tried to block a gay pride march in Warsaw in June while Portugal recently turned down a lesbian couple's request for a marriage licence.

Recently the Latvian and Lithuanian parliaments decided to table amendments to their constitutions prohibiting same-sex marriage.

But countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and the UK have recognised same-sex marriages or partnerships.

On 1 April 2001, Mr Cohen became the very first public official to wed same-sex couples. The Netherlands was the first country in the world to allow gay and lesbians to legally marry.

Official statistics show that 8,000 same-sex marriages have taken place in the Netherlands since they became legal.

The mayor of Amsterdam has written to his counterparts in eight other European capitals, calling on them to uphold gay rights.

In his letter, Job Cohen warns that intolerance against homosexuals is on the increase.

The Netherlands introduced gay marriage five years ago, and Mr Cohen is urging other countries to do the same.

Mayors in Warsaw, Prague, Lisbon, Dublin and Vienna are among those who have been sent copies of the letter.

Mr Cohen has also written to leaders in the Baltic capitals of Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius, and EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini.

'Concerned'

The move is a result of a motion by city councillors who are concerned over recent attacks on homosexuals in Amsterdam.

In the letter, Mr Cohen says he is "concerned" by measures in some cities to ban gay demonstrations.

He calls on mayors to "adhere to the universal declaration of human rights, and to do everything in your political power to open up marriage for same-sex couples and safeguard the right of public demonstrations in your city," Agence France-Presse news agency reports.

In February, Portuguese officials turned down an application by a lesbian couple to get married.

Official statistics show that 8,000 same-sex marriages have taken place in the Netherlands since they became legal, AFP said.

SUMMARY: Amsterdam's Job Cohen warns other European mayors of anti-gay sentiment and urges them to advance and protect the rights of LGBT citizens.

The mayor of Amsterdam has written a letter to leaders of other European capitals urging them to advance and protect the rights of LGBT citizens.

Mayor Job Cohen also warned about the rise of anti-gay sentiment, which has affected the Netherlands in recent months despite the country's reputation for tolerance.

In the letter, Cohen called on mayors to "adhere to the universal declaration of human rights, and to do everything in your political power to open up marriage for same-sex couples and safeguard the right of public demonstrations in your city," the Agence France-Presse news agency reported.

Copies of the letter were sent to the mayors of Warsaw, Prague, Lisbon, Dublin and Vienna, as well as leaders in the Baltic capitals of Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius. Franco Frattini, justice commissioner of the European Union, received a copy as well.

Cohen's concerns stem from a number of recent incidents, including Gay Pride bans in Warsaw and Moscow and the rejection of a lesbian couple's wish to marry in Lisbon. In addition, recent flare-ups between the gay and Muslim communities in the Netherlands have raised concerns about homophobia.

(Amsterdam, Netherlands) The mayor of Amsterdam has delivered a strong message to his counterparts across Europe: Uphold the rights of your LGBT citizens.

He has specifically targeted the mayors of several major cities in countries that are members of the European Union and those seeking entry.

In letters to the mayors of Warsaw, Prague, Lisbon, Dublin, Riga, Vilnius and a half dozen other cities, Mayor Job Cohen calls for adherence to EU human rights laws and for support of same-sex marriage.

Last year more than 2,500 people ignored an order from the mayor of Warsaw and marched through the Polish capital. (story) The mayor, Lech Kaczynski, is now Poland's president.

Last July the Latvian capital city of Riga banned gay pride observances following criticism of the event by Latvian Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis. (story) The march went ahead after a court issued an injunction.

In Prague, the Czech parliament this year overrode a presidential veto and granted limited rights to same-sex couples. (story)

Ireland is moving toward allowing civil partnerships but the government is under intense pressure from the Catholic Church to abandon the measure.

Cohen in his letter called on the mayors to "adhere to the universal declaration of human rights, and to do everything in your political power to open up marriage for same-sex couples and safeguard the right of public demonstrations in your city."

A copy of the letters was sent to the European Union's Justice Commissioner, Franco Frattini.

Cohen performed the world's first legal same-sex marriage in 2001, after the Dutch government passed legislation allowing gays and lesbians to wed.

About 6,000 gay and lesbian couples have married in the five years same-sex marriage has been legal in The Netherlands.

Belgium became the second country to legalize same-sex marriage in 2003. Spain and Canada followed last year. In December same-sex marriage will be legal in South Africa.

Tokyo mayor Shintaro Ishihara added a sour note to the inauguration of the exhibition "Collection de la Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain au Musée d'art contemporain de Tokyo" (The Fondation Cartier's Contemporary Art Collection at Tokyo's Museum of Contemporary Art [MOT]). As Libération's Michel Temman reports, the mayor spoke along with Bernard Fornas, president of Cartier International; Seiichiro Ujiie, the head of MOT; and Hervé Chandès, the director of Fondation Cartier, in front of 1,500 guests who were invited for the event. "Coming here, I thought I would see great things," said Ishihara. "But, in fact, I have seen nothing. […] The contemporary art shown here is ridiculous."

The exhibition, which was prepared over one year by Cartier's teams in Tokyo and Paris, features pieces by thirty-two artists of twelve nationalities—from the Congolese Chéri Samba to the American Liza Lou—whose works have been acquired by Fondation Cartier in the last twenty years. The broad international selection did not impress Ishihara, a populist mayor known for his nationalist diatribes. During a tour of the exhibition, Ishihara claimed that "Japanese culture is more beautiful than Western culture." Ishihara ridiculed Ron Mueck's sculpture In Bed, which is featured in the exhibition catalog and poster. "The big mother in the bed has the face of a baby." Any attempts to elaborate on the works fell on deaf ears. "Contemporary art that needs to be explained," claimed Ishihara, "is worth nothing."